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Secret Sauce There’s absolutely nothing about this recession that a little bit of good chocolate and a lot of great retail can’t cure. The other day, I was walking past a row of storefronts in what used to be one of the more vibrant shopping areas in Greenwich Village. Most of the windows that didn’t stand empty were humbled by red-lettered signs and the faint hope that the word “SALE” would make a difference. But as I approached the corner of 10th and Bleecker, something changed. There was one store that was jam-packed. I looked up at the sign, which read, “Pure Dark.” If the mystery of the name didn’t get me, the aroma wafting out onto the sidewalk certainly did. Chocolate. Inside, deep, dark — and presumably pure — slabs of chocolate beckoned. There was more to it than that, though. For one thing, you could sample almost everything in the store. Even more important, you could customize your chocolate with any number of exotic toppings — chipotle, ginger, sesame — from real hot to just plain interesting. All you have to do is buy a few of these little round chocolate wafers — nibs, as they call them at Pure Dark — and one of their friendly staffers will sprinkle or dip it in whatever you like. The store itself is just really cool, with a very rustic, rough-hewn kind of look. It’s not what you usually think of when you think of a high-end chocolate shop. Beyond the experience itself, I was struck by how it was communicated — mostly just by being there. When I went home, I logged onto my computer to check out their website (puredark.com) and was surprised to find just a splash page with a short description of the store and an email address. The site did not even give a street address! Digging deeper, I started Googling “Pure Dark” and found that the only other mentions of it were on a few blogs. Let’s think about that for a moment. There’s exactly one store doing well in a formerly vibrant shopping area. It’s done no advertising other than apparently letting a few well-placed bloggers know about it. It lets foot traffic and an exceptional shopping experience take care of the rest. Worlds are Colliding Here’s what I find so interesting: Marketers and advertisers are so excited about social networks, mobile phones and the marketing potential for innovative, one-to-one communication therein. A recent Hub survey (see page 8) indicates that 60 percent of marketers see “social networks” as the emerging media that will see the most experimentation in the year ahead. This was followed by “mobile phones” at 52 percent, with “online video” (27 percent), “microsites” (21 percent) and “digital out of home” (19 percent). Way down at the bottom of the list, at just under 18 percent, was “retail media.” The result was revealing because “retail media” offers one of the best opportunities to form a deeper, one-to-one bond with consumers. It also suggests that many in our industry have yet to put “two and two together” when it comes to combining online and offline media tools to enhance one-to-one communications. This doesn’t mean “integration” in the usual sense because that’s invariably about tactics. It’s about the close relationship between what people love about the internet and how that translates to the shopping experience in stores. We hear an awful lot about “shopper marketing.” The focus there seems to be almost entirely on how to sell more stuff to shoppers. That is important, particularly in this economic downturn. But this discussion is almost invariably tactical and centered on things like how to build better displays or create more relevant coupon delivery systems. Seems like that is more of the same old thing. The Hub survey also revealed that many of today’s marketers feel they are having “less fun” than in the past. The sales team at Pure Dark may or may not have heard of “shopper marketing” but they sure look like they have recaptured some of that “missed fun.” Not only do these folks “get” what shoppers really want, they give it to them. And it is not a one-way communication. They are talking to their customers, asking questions, presumably taking notes, and continually refining the experience as they go. Isn’t this how Starbucks got started? Remember “the good old days” when Starbucks was all about aromas, customization, and, most of all, conversation? Starbucks did no advertising other than build another one of its coffee shops in your neighborhood and staff it with a team great at engaging with customers. I have no idea if Pure Dark is the next Starbucks. Maybe it shouldn’t be because that might spoil it. But I do know that Pure Dark points the way to the future of retail because it takes a holistic view of its online and offline presence, and does so with the sense of fun and imagination that exemplifies great retail. A Truly Innovative Platform It is not just a happy coincidence that Pure Dark chose to promote itself purely through online media and retail as media. I don’t think they decided to get the word out through a few influential bloggers just because they thought it would be the cool thing to do (although it was). They likely went that route because they understood that the online and in-store cultures are remarkably similar. The most obvious common denominators are the ability to discover new things, tailor those discoveries to personal tastes, and experiencing them when and where we want to. For shoppers, it does not have to be about always finding the lowest possible price. It’s also about finding out what’s new, exciting and fun on one’s own terms. It’s not about plopping a kiosk in the corner or hanging a digital sign overhead and calling that “integration.” It’s about delivering in the store on the things people love about going online. This isn’t just about chocolate, of course. If it’s buzz you want, chocolate rarely fails to deliver. But choose almost any category you want — cars, consumer electronics, financial services or even toilet paper (as can be seen by the Charmin holiday store in Times Square) — and the same principles apply. I can almost hear the sales guys, the shopper marketing agencies and retailers saying, “Okay, that’s interesting, but it takes too long to build, and I need to make my numbers today.” Well, tell that to Pure Dark, the one bright light in a New York City retail neighborhood that is otherwise struggling to stay relevant. Given the economy today, shoppers still respond to coupons and displays. However, while such tactics may get a short-term bump, you’ll never get the kind of long-range gain you’ll need to not only survive this recession, but also prosper through it, and beyond it. A little excitement and a lot of insight into the true potential of retail as a platform for innovative marketing — and not just sales and distribution — will go a very long way. Not only will sales happen, but brands will also grow bigger and stronger than ever through increased demand. This is where the focus of “shopper marketing” ought to be — not just on research into how shoppers respond to various kinds of promotional offers, but also what people really want and expect out of their shopping experience. n -- VINCE WEINER is a senior vice president of corporate strategy at Active International, focusing on developing retail and OOH digital solutions for their clients. Vince can be reached at vweiner@activeinternational.com or 845-732-8514. --
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